


He Was There

by fanbird



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: I love MIT era Tony, Iron Bros, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark at MIT, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:28:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28243917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanbird/pseuds/fanbird
Summary: Little one shot of our boys at MIT detailing how the two became friends.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	He Was There

When he heard he’d be rooming with Anthony Stark he was flabbergasted. He’d assumed the privileged prince would be staying in some mansion off campus, not a shabby dorm room with a roommate. His next thought was of the well-known lifestyle that would move in as well. Parties were not on his to-do list, he was here to get an education and now he was getting stuck with Stark just because he was underage too. He was 17,  _ almost _ 18\. So close to avoiding this shit.

-

Stark was a disaster. Behind the suave smirk was a fumbling 15 year old with too much energy, too many ideas, too little restraint. He clashed with the professors, though they couldn’t deny him the high grades he earned. He partied, drank a lot, but he always had his work done. The dorm was messy, well Tony’s side was, but he was clearly trying to be considerate. His stuff encroached on Rhodey’s side of the room despite his best efforts

-

They didn’t talk more than they had to, not at first. That changed when Rhodey's dad got sick. He’d come back to their room unexpectedly one day, leaving his class early. He was halfway into the room before he noticed Tony. 

He was laying on his bed with a pile of fast-food wrappers next to him, book held open with one hand. (Though how he could see with his hair in his eyes was a mystery.) “Hey, honeybun.” He greeted, nodding in Rhodeys direction. 

He did this, these weird pet names, from the day he moved in. “Wha-“ He shook his head, he didn’t have the energy to fight the name. “Why aren’t you at your lecture?” 

Tony’s eyebrows raised in amusement as he reached for his drink, holding the straw between his back teeth with a grin. “What’s it to ya,  _ Mom _ ? Did my teacher call you?” 

“Fuck off, man.” Rhodey huffed, shuffling around the room as he put his stuff away.

“Wait, don’t you have a class right now?”

“Yes.”

“Aaaaand you’re ditching it?”

“Mhm.” 

Rhodey sat on his bed, back straight and eyes downcast. 

“You okay, dude?” Toy asked, setting aside his book and drink. 

“Look, I just wanted to be alone for a second, can you not do this?”

“All ya gotta do is ask.” Tony shrugged, hopping out of bed and slipping into his jacket. “Cool if I’m back later?”

Rhodey looked up at him in surprise, nodding wordlessly before watching him walk back out the door. 

He’d fallen asleep at some point, and Tony had come back, judging by the lump in his bed. He checked his pager and called his Mom back, returning to the dorm with a crease between his brow. 

He grabbed a pillow from his bed and crossed the room, hitting Tony with it. 

“Hey!” Tony sat up in bed shirtless, hair pushed off to one side, “The hell?”

“How did you know?”

“How’d I know what, asshole?” Tony sighed, leaning back against the headboard, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. 

“About my Dad. Mom got the flowers you sent, and I know it was you because she got the money too.” Rhodey sat at the foot of Tony’s bed hesitantly, eyes fixed on his now awake roommate. 

Tony shrugged, “I hacked your pager, then got the school records and made it happen. I mean do you want like a play by play orrrr?” He rolled his eyes when Rhodey just gaped at him. “What? It’s not like you were gonna tell me what was up, and that’s… ya know, it’s treatable, statistically speaking, as long as you move fast. And moving fast requires money, which I have tons of. So, ya know. Happy roommate, happy life, right?” 

“Tony… you didn’t have to-“

“Yeah, duh. Anyway, I’m awake now and I need coffee.” He stretches as he got out of bed and pulled on his MIT sweats and grabbed his wallet, glancing over at Rhodey. “You want anything, sweetcheeks?”

Rhodey surprised himself by laughing, shaking his head fondly. “I’ll come with you.”

-  


Six months later they were inseparable. Rhodey loved Tony’s irreverence, something he never let himself indulge in. Tony had privilege beyond comprehension but he had the talent, too. Plus, he’d always had an affinity for reckless, arrogant, loudmouths. 

When he heard the news he immediately tried to get ahold of Tony. He had no luck, of course. He found him, hours later drunk off his ass on the roof of their dorm. “Tony, where the hell have you been? I’ve been worried sick.” He made his way carefully across to his friend, settling next to him. “Are you… Are you okay?”

Tony looked away from the stars finally, eyes red-rimmed, (Though if that was from crying or drugs was anyone's guess.) ”I’m great Sugar, why wouldn’t I be?” He fished a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it up, grinning around it. “Didn’t you hear the good news?”

Rhodey frowned, shaking his head when Tony offered him a cigarette. “C’mon, man, I know you didn’t like them but… You’re not even a little upset?”

“No!” He snapped, taking a calming breath and another drag. “Fuck them. They’re finally gone and they can’t come back. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

They sat in silence for a while longer, Tony eventually leaning into Rhodey’s side. “I really hated them, ya know.”

“Yeah, Tones. I know.”   
  


-   
  


When Tony graduated, Rhodey was there. 

When Rhodey deployed, Tony was there. 

When Jarvis died, Rhodey was the one who went with Tony to the wake. 

When Rhodey met Carol, Tony was his first call; and when Tony got a new assistant suddenly Pepper was the only name Rhodey was hearing. 

When Tony was staggering through the desert, chest full of metal, blood, and sweat in his eyes, Rhodey was the one who found him. 


End file.
